What He Needs Most
by Venus Hoshi
Summary: After decades of reaping souls, Ronald Knox is ready to settle down. He has never been one for romance but will a human girl finally steal his heart? RonaldxOC
1. The One that got away

**Chapter One: The One that Got Away**

Ronald sluggishly entered the Grim Reaper Dispatch early. As he walked through the heavy wooden doors, he was greeted by the sound of shuffling papers and the rapid quickening of clicking heels.

"Ronnie!" The redheaded reaper runs into him, pulling him into a tight hug. "Will is being so mean to me this morning." he pouts childishly. "First, he makes me come into work before the sun was up. I didn't even get my proper amount of beauty sleep! Then, he hands me a huge stack of boring old paperwork." Grell continues on meaninglessly about how horrible his morning has already been as Ronald wonders why he is always the one Grell runs to about the smallest thing.

He loves his senior a great deal but is it really necessary for him to always complain about something so unimportant? He is so lost in his train of thought that he doesn't recognize that Grell has stopped talking and is now focusing intently on his face.

"Ronnie? Is everything alright?" he questions curiously. "Am I boring you?" The blonde reaper snaps out of his trance and looks at the flamboyant man staring back at him.

"Oh, no." he shakes his head, clearing the possibly hurtful thoughts away. "I was just thinking"

"What about, Ron?" He gently rests his hand on the younger reaper's shoulder, trying to provide any level of comfort he can.

"Oh, uh, it's nothing." Grell's smile falls away as he slowly takes his dainty hand from Ron's thick shoulder.

"Okay. Well, I'm here if you need to talk."

Ron looks to his deflated friend. "Ey, I didn't mean to-" He trails off, in thought, not really knowing where he was going with his statement. Grell looks up at Ron in understanding and smiles.

"I understand Ronnie boy. We all need time to think." He flashes a sharp-toothed smile as he walks towards the small office they share.

"Oh, by the way," Grell calls over his small shoulder, wagging a finger authoritatively in the air. "William wants to see you in his office, pronto. Sounds important. Don't keep him waiting. He has already shown me his wrath this morning." Grell remarks warningly while rubbing a swelling bump on his head.

The blonde quickly advances down the hall towards his supervisor's office, taking the short amount of time to smooth out some annoying little wrinkles in his shirt. He pauses in front of the door to take a calming deep breath. As he slowly raises his fist to knock, the door creaks open. Just inside, William is impatiently waiting for him to enter.

"It is 8:02 Ronald. You are late." Ronald slides in the room, his eyes never leaving William's death glare.

"I'm sorry sir. I got held up by my senior." He says defensively. William pinches the bridge of his nose in annoyance.

"Honestly." He mumbles, almost inaudibly, to himself before crossing the room and sitting in a dramatically oversized office chair behind his dark-stained desk.

"Please, take a seat." He gestures kindly with his hand for Ronald to sit in one of the overstuffed chocolate colored chairs. He awkwardly sits and folds his hands in his lap. William scribbles something down, shuffles some paperwork, sets it to the side and directs his attention toward the young reaper.

"We have been getting fewer and fewer cases these days. Do you know what this means for our association?" Ronald racks his brain for an appropriate answer, but none come to mind.  
"With the diminishing number of deaths as of late, we aren't in need of as many reapers on duty." He tenses up anxiously at the supervisor's words. He can't possibly get rid of reapers, can he?

"What does this mean?" He questions, concern leaking into the boy's words. A smile plays mincingly on William's lips that make Ronald's stomach do a flip.

"It simply means that some reapers aren't needed right now. That being said, you have the next week off." Ronald's eyes widen in surprise.

"You mean-I'm not fired? Just- on vacation." William slightly adjusts his glasses with his scythe and sighs.

"Precisely. Now you may leave your scythe here for now. You won't need it while you are off." Ronald nods his head in understanding and stands.

"Ey, Thank you Mr. Spears." The boy quickly retreats out of the bland room. Once the door is comfortably closed behind him, he lets out a long sigh of relief. The redhead rushes up to him with a worried look on his face.

"What the bloody hell was that about?" He presses, antsy to have an answer. The older reaper grips Ronald's hand firmly and pulls him into their nearby cubical.

"He just said that I have the next week off, starting today." He nervously runs a hand through his thick blonde hair and gives a forced nonchalant smile. Grell leans against his desk sensually, contemplating why William would do something so out of character as to give someone time off. And a week too! A frown slowly forms on Grell's lips as he opens his mouth to speak.

"What the devil is he up to? I give him all the love a woman can give and he gives time off to a younger man!?" Grell angrily pouts. His gaze shoots towards Ron, realizing his statement could have hurt the boy.

"Not that I am not happy to see you finally have a break. I think you mentioned something a bit ago about needing some time to think." His face softens and he smiles affectionately at Ron.

"Eh, yeah. Hey, thanks Grell. You have been a major help to me." Ronald reveals, giving a genuine smile.

The flamboyant reaper rises from the desk and launches himself haphazardly at his junior. He wraps his small arms around the kid and squeezes him playfully. The air rushes out of Ronald's lungs at the impact. He gasps for air as he fights himself to push his senior off so that he may breathe. Once the red head finally lets go of his solid frame, it takes all Ronald has in him not to pass out from asphyxiation.

"I have to drop my scythe off at Repair & Maintenance. I don't think ole Will trusts me alone with a deadly lawnmower." He cracks a smile.

"Have a good time on vacation Ronnie. We _must_ have lunch together soon. Don't think you can go _all_ week without checking up with your senior." He wags his hips playfully and gives his junior a knowing wink.

"Sounds good." Ronald turns and leaves the cubical, letting his mind wander as he makes the long trip to drop off his scythe.

He could always phase. Make the trip shorter and just appear there, but he wanted to wander the halls of Dispatch. When he finally arrived at his destination, he summoned the legally enhanced scythe and signed some paperwork. As he hesitantly left the reaper realm, he couldn't help but think of how he would spend an entire week off. He hasn't had a day off since he started decades ago. His stomach was reminding him that he still hadn't eaten anything that morning so he decided to head to town in search of food. He stops at a small cafe on the edge of town to grab a bite to eat. As he walks up to the counter to order, a short girl with long black hair turns around and bumps right into him.

"Oh, I'm sorry." She slowly lifts her head to reveal electric blue eyes and a kind face. The girl catches Ronald off guard, leaving him dazed. Her pale skin stands out against her black, punk rock style clothing.

"Excuse me." She says, looking up at him with a questioning stare. Ronald towers over her like a giant. Being three inches taller than the girl and with all the combat training he has to go through, the girl looks minute in comparison. He finally snaps out of his gaze of staring at the beautiful girl before him.

"Oh, uh, I'm so sorry. Let me help you with that." He extends a hand to help her carry the two trays full of food.

"I've got it, thanks." She says nonchalantly, shrugging off his attempts to be polite.

She scoots around him and takes the food to a table near the back. Ronald stands there in a daze from meeting someone so attractive. He tried to help her and she quickly shot him down. Why? He orders his food thoughtlessly and takes a seat just in sight of her. After a lot of thinking and many awkward glances at her table, he finally decides to get up to talk to her.

Just as he stands to throw away his trash and say something to her, she rises, collects her things, and heads for the door. He is stunned for a second. How can someone be that graceful? He quickly gathers his thoughts and rushes toward her. When he reaches her, he remembers he still has the trash in his hands. He tosses it into the bin and dusts himself off in preparation to talk to the stunning beauty.

The mysterious girl slips out the door, leaving the restaurant and him behind. He bolts after her but he realizes it is too late. She has blended in with the crowd and is lost forever.

_Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed this! It is a little idea I have been brewing up for some time. Please review and PM! The name of the story came from the lovely zgirl16 and the name of the chapter comes from my friend Becca! Thanks guys! I blanked on names! _


	2. Strange Encounter

**Chapter Two: Strange Encounter **

"Why didn't I chase after her?" Ronald mumbles to himself as he rolls over in his king-sized bed. The young reaper has tried to get some rest but it evades him. Thoughts of the small girl from earlier flood his mind and take root, not letting himself forget about the one moment they shared together just a few hours ago.

"It's pointless! She is long gone by now! Who knows where she could be?" He moves strands of blonde hair matted to his face by sweat out of his eyes.

He stares at his ceiling, thinking back to the moment he first saw her. "Her hair was so long and soft looking. And oh how her eyes sparkled. They were like pools of radiant crystals." He blinks, attempting to remove the image of her staring up at him from his mind. "In all my life I have seen girl after girl but none as beautiful as her. Why did she shove me off like that?"

He sighs loudly and relaxes into his pillow, turning on his side and pulling his knees up.

_  
The phone rings early one morning, waking Ronald from yet another restless, thought-filled trance. His senior, Grell Sutcliff's voice comes through the receiver.

"Morning, Ronnie." He says energetically. "Did I wake you?" His voice drips with anxiety.

"Nah, mate. Just... another night full of thoughts." Ronald shuffles and sits up in bed, revealing his bare chest and plaid pajama pants.

"Oh, Ron." Grell remarks, the frown evident in the reapers tone. "You really should move on. I mean, how cute could a _girl _possibly be?"

Ronald sighs heavily. How could Grell possibly understand? All he ever does it flirt. He doesn't want anything more than a physical, skin-deep relationship.

He lets the feminine voice explain the havoc that has been the office the last couple of days. He tunes out his seniors voice, thinking of what _HIS_ life has become since the strange girl entered his thoughts, not letting them have a moments rest.

When he gradually becomes aware of what the man was saying, he is startled to hear about the upcoming changes at Dispatch.

"They are going to start putting us on shifts..." He trails off and pauses. "Ronnie boy? Are you even listening?" The blonde clears his throat uncomfortably.

"Uh, yeah mate. What about 'em going on shifts?" The boy rubs his face, mustering up all the energy he can from his sleep-deprived body.

"Since there haven't been as many deaths lately, they are going to start reapers on shifts so there aren't divine beings wandering around with deadly scythes bored out of their minds. It is suppose to 'keep us out of trouble'." The redhead scoffs over the phone and lets out a small chuckle. "Ronnie?"

"Yes, senpai?" he answers, getting out of bed and heading to the kitchen.

"I would like to see my junior today. You feeling up for lunch at Julia's later?"

Ron sighs happily. Julia's is the little cafe that he ran into that girl a couple days ago. A small smile creeps on his face. Maybe, just maybe, she'll be there.  
"That sounds great. I've missed you senpai."

Grell squeals joyfully and laughs.  
"Someone's missed having a lady in their life, huh?" He remarks playfully. Ron chuckles at the thought of his senior's face lighting up at the comment.

The sound of a door opening and William's exasperated tone are muffled by Grell's hand. He removes his hand after a moment, clearly upset.

"Ron, darling, I've got to get back to work. I'll see you there at noon." The phone clicks and goes silent. Ron sets the phone down and starts water for tea.

_

As Ronald draws near to their meeting place, he grows nervous.  
"What would I even say if I saw her?" He grumbles quietly to himself as he walks. He rounds the corner, just in sight of Julia's cafe, when a teenager stumbles out of an alley, clearly wasted.

"Ey, mate? Are you okay?" He kindly asks, all too familiar with the effects of alcohol. The boy looks up to him and stares at him for a minute before he starts to fall. Ronald catches him and pulls him back into the alley, out of the street.

"Do you need help?"  
Just as the guy opens his mouth to talk, he leans over and throws up. A girl comes running from the darkness of the alley to his side.

"Robin! There you are! Dad is worried sick. We need to get you cleaned and sobered." She wraps an arm around his ribcage and he puts his arm around her shoulders. The boy lets go of Ronald's arm and holds on to his sister. They start walking out of the alley when he finally realizes who it is.

"Hey!" He calls after the pair. "You are the girl from the restaurant a few days ago!" He runs after them, not allowing himself to miss his second chance at talking to the girl. She stops, struggling under the weight of the boy. He catches up with them and notices her difficulty in carrying someone almost twice her size. He slides his arm around the other size of the guy, supporting the extra weight.

"I've got it." She barks out, pushing him away.

"What is your problem!" Ronald's frustration peaks. 'Why won't she just accept help!?'

"I've got it." She breaths out heavily. The teens weight isn't allowing her to breathe correctly.

Ron won't let her get away this time. He looks her dead in the eye, the most courage he has had around her yet.

"No. You don't." She is taken aback by his defiance and it throws her off for a minute. She quickly recovers her hard exterior but the girl's eyes show her desperation. He slides his arm around the teen again, and they start walking. After a little while, the girl speaks up.

"Can we go back to your place?" She says confidently. 'Is this girl crazy!? We have her brother! She couldn't possibly be thinking about-' Ronald blushes, finally realizing that she couldn't bring her brother home in the condition he was in.

"Um...yeah." He mumbles, clearly embarrassed. The girl seems to notice and smiles cruelly.  
They reach his apartment and he leads them inside. The teen crashes through the sitting room and lies down on his couch.  
"I'll make tea."

The girl stands awkwardly near the door, examining the room.  
"You live alone?" She asks, a bit sarcastically.

"Yeah." He calls from the kitchen. The girl frowns but covers it when she sees Ronald reentering the sitting room.

"I do." He states. "I have for a long time." He meant for the statement to be reassuring but there was sadness in his tone. She looks down, embarrassed.

"Oh." She looks up after a moment and stares at his face.  
He smiles warmly and starts to blush.

"Did you want to say something?"  
She takes a couple steps towards him to get a better look at his features.

"You look so young. Exactly, how old are you?"

"Oh, just a couple hundred decades." He smiles, hoping that she would believe him.

The girl slightly narrows her eyes and then starts to chuckle.  
"I thought you were serious!" She says through her laughter. He stands there waiting for her laughter to die down, with a hurt look on his face. She finally calms and looks up, noticing his expression.

"Is something wrong?" Her face softens and she blushes a bit, realizing that she must have hurt his feelings.

"Oh, Eh, well, no." He stammers. 'Why does she make me so bloody nervous?'

She walks up to him and lays a hand on his arm. "I'm sorry." Her tone sounded a bit harsh but he took it as her way of trying to comfort him.

"It's alright." He chuckles breathlessly. "Just gets lonely sometimes." She removes her hand from his arm and goes to her brother's side, who has rolled off the couch and fallen asleep on the floor. "What a mess." She mumbles to herself, positioning his head in a way he can breathe properly. Ron walks to the siblings and picks up the boy, placing him back on the couch and sits in a nearby chair.

"Thanks." She quietly whispers, not used to saying the words. She stands and sits at the foot of the couch, by her passed out brother. She glances at Ron, who had been politely staring at her.  
"You recognized me, didn't you? Back in the alley?"  
He stiffens as her words cut through him like daggers.  
"Eh, yeah. You ran into me a couple of days ago." He smiles, trying to hide a blush. He laughs quietly for a moment. "I was actually on my way to the same cafe to-." His eyes widen and he shoots out of his chair. "Grell!" He bows quickly and darts for the door. "I'm so sorry! Be back soon!" He rushes out of the apartment, slamming the door behind him.

_Author Note: So sorry it took forever to write this chapter. I have been busy and have writer's block as well. _Crimson Accomplice_ is giving me some problems so it might be a while until I update that story. Thanks for the support~_


	3. Introductions

**Chapter Three: Introductions **

Grell sat patiently at Julia's, the small diner on the corner of a busy intersection, waiting for his junior to show up. The redhead decided to arrive at their meeting place ten minutes early because his senior knew that Ronnie had a tendency to be early. His current absence is what is worrying the older flamboyant man now. Ronald Knox is never late. So why now? Grell anxiously glances at the clock for the tenth time of the hour.

"It's 12:47 Where the bloody hell is that boy?" He mumbled grumpily to himself while he added yet another cube of sugar to his fairly bitter afternoon tea. Just as Grell was about to give up on his junior and trudge back to work, the blonde reaper came stumbling through the door, panting as he did so.

"I'm so sorry senpai, I-.." He fumbled into the bland chair across from the red headed man staring at him.

"Ronnie~? What took you so long? You are_ never_ late." The man pouts childishly, taking a sip of the extra sweetened tea. Ronald checks the clock and sighs.

"Not bad timing." he mumbles under his breath, looking back to Grell.

"Ronnieboy, if this isn't a good time then-.."

"no.." The younger reaper interrupts, positioning himself clumsily in the metal chair. "I just ran into someone on the way over here and-.." A light blush appears on his face as he thinks about the cute punk girl.

"And~?" Grell asks, expecting a good excuse as to why the blonde kept his senior waiting for so long. Ronald smiles wide, his cheeks darkening, and leans over the table, planting both hands firmly on the tabletop.

"It was her, senpai." Grell rolls his eyes, clearly annoyed the holdup was over a _girl_, and gives a disapproving grunt. He raises the cup to his lips to take another sip of tea. "Senpai. Please. I really like her." the boy pleads, giving the puppy-dog face to his weak feminine counterpart. His senior lowers the cup and raises a perfectly tweezed eyebrow.

"How much do you actually _know_ about this girl?" Ronald fidgets uncomfortably and looks away, slumping down into the chair defeated.

"Well, I know she is _cute_." The boy mumbles, upset that Grell would question him.

"And _cute_ won't get you very far, Ronnie~! I'm sorry to be a buzz kill but you have to look at the facts. Do you even know the girl's name?" Ronald sits up in his chair and looks to his senior, a confused look on his face.

"No, actually I don't." Grell peeks at the boy over the top of his cup, the steam heating up his cheeks. _'Oh no~! There is that face again~!'_ Grell's eyes widen as Ronald frowns and determination flashes in his eyes. Grell sets the cup down on the table to, hesitantly, question his junior when the boy quickly stands, knocking his chair over and reaches for Grell's wrist, pulling him to a standing position as well.

"Ronnie~? What are you~...?" Ronald rushes for the door, dragging the pouting and rather confused older reaper behind him. Grell grabs at the hand around his wrist, trying to free himself from the tight grip but it just earns him a jerking pull forward, making him crash into Ronald's back. "Ronnie~!? You are hurting me~!" The two come to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk as Grell's assault comes to an end.

"Eh, sorry senpai." Ronald remarks, blushing and scratching the back of his neck nervously. Grell rubs his wrist, attempting to return the feeling in his hand.

"Just _where_ do you think you're taking me in the middle of the day~?" Ron gave his senior an anxious look as he bounces on his toes, glancing in the direction of his apartment.

"I just left her there!" The boy started off down the street, leaving the small redhead to collect himself quickly and chases after Ron.

"Hey, wait~!" Grell called after him. "Didn't anyone tell you it isn't polite to leave a_ lady_ all alone~?"

* * *

"I told you senpai, she is probably gone by now." Ronald remarks, pulling out the keys to his apartment. Grell crossed his arms and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Well I'll never know until I see for _myself, _Ronnie, so hurry up with that bloody door!" Ronald slides the key in and turns, hearing a click.

"There." Ronald mumbles to himself. The two walk in to catch the dark-haired girl holding a picture in her hands in the entry way. She nonchalantly looks up and smiles.

"Is this your_ lover_?" She asks, amusement in her tone. Grell smiles and before Ronald could respond, pushes the boy out of the way and steps in front of him. Grell leaned over the short girl and took in her appearance.

"Mm..." Grell hums, tapping his finger on his chin. He straightens himself and turns to Ron, tilting his head. "Kinda..._dull_. Don't you think, Ronnie?" Ronald lowers his gaze at Grell, giving him a warning look. The girl starts to giggle, making Ron blush and Grell huff. "Now who the bloody hell do you think_ you_ are to be laughing at an _extremely_ skilled rea-." Ron lunges forward and clasps a hand over Grell's mouth, silencing him.

"She doesn't know, senpai." Ronald angrily mumbles in Grell's ear. The girl places the picture back down on the table and turns toward the two, raising an eyebrow.

"A _what_?" She questioned curiously. Ronald slowly released Grell and chewed his lip.

"Reader~!" Grell piped up happily. Ronald's green eyes shot toward the smaller reaper.

"An extremely skilled..._reader_.." She remarks sarcastically, circling and eyeing the strangely feminine redhead. Ronald shook his head slightly and started pushing Grell down the entry hallway and towards the sitting room.

"How about you make us some tea, senp-" They entered the sitting room to see a half-dressed teen rubbing a towel over his raven black shoulder length hair. After a moment of drying, the boy finally looks up to see the two staring at him. He holds the towel out next to him and cocks a half smile.

"Oh, sorry man. I took a shower. Hope you don't mind but it helps with my hangovers." Grell's eyes light up as he rushes for the boy. As Grell reaches him, the teen takes a slight step back and smiles as Grell runs a hand down his abs.

"My~ My~ Ronald. You didn't tell me you had a _play toy_ here~!" The teen flashes a cocky smile as he watches the redhead feel his pale muscular body.

"Maybe I should wear a shirt less often." The boy teases, laughing lightly and running a large hand through his still wet hair.

"I'm sorry about that. Grell, this is-" Ronald looks to the teen. "I didn't catch your name, mate." The raven haired man smiles and stands up a bit straighter, still watching the man play with his muscles.

"My name is Robin." The small girl rounds the corner and laughs at the sight of the feminine man fawning over her brother's body. "And _that_, that is my sister Raven." Ron glances at the girl and listens to her laugh.

_'So she isn't scared off by Grell.'_ Ronald smiles and faces her. "Welcome, _Raven_." The girl stops laughing and puts up her curiously quite demeanor once again. Ronald frowns and turns back to the two men. "Ay, mate. How are you feeling? You know, with the hangover?" Ronald hesitantly questions. Robin smiled wide, showing his perfectly straight white teeth.

"Ah man. Great. That hot shower really helped. Thanks for taking me in."

"Eh, it's not a problem." Ronald crosses to where he was standing and placed a hand on the teens shoulder. "I know my way around a bottle, if you know what I mean." The blonde joked, an edge of sadness in his tone. Grell giggled and let the pale boy go.

"It hasn't been just _once_ that I have fished this boy out of the gutter~!" Grell remarked, still eyeing the boy hungrily. Robin offered a small laugh as Raven timidly stepped forward

"We should get going Robin. Dad is probably worried sick." Grell pouted at the thought of his dark haired knight being stolen from him so early. Ronald frowned, hating that the pair had to leave.

"Eh, I could have a talk with your dad to explain the situation." Ronald offered, vainly attempting to get just one more moment with the girl. Robin smiled, closing his eyes and tilting his head.

"I'm sure Wayne will understand." Grell laughed and clung to the boy's arm. Ronald turned to the shorter girl to assure her it would be alright if they stayed longer but the comment had clearly upset her.

"He is _your_ father, as well." She remarked, the aura around her swelling. Robin frowned and looked out the window.

"He may be my _father_, but he is not my _'dad'_." The girl seemed to relax and stepped toward him, placing a hand on his lower arm.

"I'm sorry, Robin." She whispered, an apologetic tone to her voice. Raven gasped as Robin smacked her hand away coldly, not wanting his sister's comforting gesture. The girl seemed to shut down, as if all of her emotions were being bottled inside. Robin looked down on the girl, a scowl on his face. Ron stepped forward, trying to defuse the situation a bit.

"Robin, she was just trying to-..." The blonde trailed off, sensing that Robin was in no mood to hear that he was in the wrong. The girl stepped back, bumping into Ron. Ronald gently brought his hands up and rested them on her shoulders. Normally, Raven would have swatted him away, for she hates physical contact. This time, something was different. She needed someone there. She craved to be comforted. But it had to be the right person. Would she ever find the_ right_ person?

_Author's Note: I hoped you enjoyed it! Sorry it is taking me forever to update now.. It has been hectic at my house! Please hang in there with me! _Crimson Accomplice_ SHOULD be updated within a week. Thanks~! Follow and Review please~! :3 _


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